Friday, October 2, 2009

Cuddle up with Mr. Placenta

If you're anything like me, after birthing the bloody placenta you may have marveled at the life-sustaining organ that nourished your newly born child, and then you moved on to something less gross. But in many parts of the world, placentophagia -- the eating of the placenta -- is said to be a sacred ritual that may prevent postpartum depression, slow postpartum hemorrhage and boost milk production.

Not ready for a placenta patty? Perhaps a Placenta Teddy Bear would serve as an appropriate remembrance souvenir for your little one. And I don't mean a teddy bear that looks like a placenta (hello, nightmares). No, no -- I mean a cuddly bedtime friend made out of your actual organ.[re]design -- the socially engaged, environmentally conscious design enterprise -- introduced Designer Alex Green's "Twin Teddy Kit" at this weekend's Doing It For The Kids expo.

Simply cut the placenta in half and rub the organ with sea salt, allowing it to dry out. Then, treat it with a mixture of tannin and egg yolk until it's soft and pliable. Finally, sew the pieces into a teddy bear -- natch. I know that when I got home from the hospital I was itching to fill my abundance of free time with a celebratory -- albeit creepy -- DIY craft project.